Reef fishes; Color patterns; Comparative analysis; Mullidae; Lutjanidae; Pomacanthidae
Abstract :
[en] Coral reefs and associated coastal environments host one of the most colorful and diverse teleost assemblages. The large diversity of habitats, the high species richness, and the variability in light found in such ecosystems make them an evolutionary powerhouse of color patterns in teleosts. To date, the great majority of studies focusing on color pattern evolution in fishes only include few species or families exclusively associated to coral reefs. However, some marine fish families have evolved in multiple environments, including coral reefs, meadows, mangroves and sand blanks. Here, we aimed to explore the evolution of color patterns among three marine fish families: the angelfishes (Pomacanthidae), living strictly in coral reefs, as well as the goatfishes (Mullidae) and the snappers (Lutjanidae), which occupy both reefs and adjacent areas. To do so, we compiled data from respectively 53, 63 and 74 species by coding the presence/absence of specific markings (e.g. vertical strips, eyespot) on the three main body regions: head, trunk and caudal region (peduncle and fin). We summarized the diversity of color pattern in each fish family by using Principal Coordinates Analyses (PCoA) and we applied various phylogenetic analyses to compare the mode of color pattern evolution among the three families. The multivariate phylogenetic signal was low for all families (Blomberg’s K<0.15), suggesting a great evolvability of color pattern. Disparity through time plots (DTT) strengthened these results by revealing many convergences in color patterns. These preliminary results support that the mode of color pattern evolution would not differ between strictly-associated reef fish families and fish families living in coral reefs and adjacent habitats.
Mittelheiser, Laurent ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Morphologie fonctionnelle et évolutive
Baurain, Denis ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences de la vie > Phylogénomique des eucaryotes ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Integrative Biological Sciences (InBioS)
Frederich, Bruno ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Freshwater and OCeanic science Unit of reSearch (FOCUS) ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Ecologie évolutive
Language :
English
Title :
Comparative study of the color pattern evolution in three reef fish families
Alternative titles :
[fr] Etude comparative de l'évolution des patrons de coloration chez trois familles de poissons récifaux
Publication date :
30 May 2023
Event name :
Zoology 2023
Event organizer :
Royal Belgian Zoology Society Dutch Zoological Society